I don't know the specifics of US coal mine history so I can't comment on most of this, but looking at the broader, long-term picture: > What's left behind is p

I don't know the specifics of US coal mine history so I can't comment on most of this, but looking at the broader, long-term picture: > What's left behind is poverty (by US standards). I'm afraid that climate change, at least if we would all apply US levels of action, would result in non-US levels of poverty for all but the wealthiest few. Depending also on how heavy-handed/inhumane one wants to be towards displaced immigrants from places that become mostly inhospitable or below sea level (most people worldwide live in coastal regions)